The healthcare professions have evolved over time, and consequently professional responsibilities have changed and become more technical in nature. Professionalism has a long history of being based on a defined set of values, and during the twentieth century professional autonomy was clearly the most important value among the healthcare professions, particularly among physicians. The practice of professionalism can provide continuity and enable healthcare providers to assist their colleagues and patients during a time of shifting professional values. Values provide the basis for developing a framework for the new professionalism of the twenty-first century, developed from the perspective of all four entities involved, including the healthcare provider, the individual patient, the healthcare system and society as a whole. Healthcare practitioners will place an emphasis on social justice and solidarity with patients and society, and honour and integrity will be the hallmarks of the new professionalism.